I took part in a research workshop exploring the forms and way in which sculptures can be created and how we are able to potentially get more physically involved in the creation process. The workshop was interested in examining the artists relation to their materials and in what ways they could be manipulated and used whilst forcing us out of our comfort zones in order to address the materials in new ways.
The first section of the workshop asked us to restrict our sense of sight and purely through touch create a sculpture of the person’s face opposite to us. Immediately, the lack of being able to rely on my vision pushed me way out of my comfort zone, along with working with a medium which I often struggle with, caused me to flounder. But it was still impressive to me how basic features of the face were still visible.
With my confidence growing slightly and feeling more relaxed and at ease with the fun of exploring these new processes under both sensory and time restrictions, it was interesting to see how I began to adapt and evolve to the situations presented. The next timed session was to try and create a sculpture of a hand and arm of one of the people in your pair, with one person being blindfolded and sculpting and the other giving directions and describing, and it was impressive how well it actually turned out.
The final challenge of the first section of the workshop was a repeat of the first except this time doing a self portrait, and its startling the difference of the first attempt to the third even when realistically there was not much time or practice between them.
The second half of the session was dedicated to a huge group exercise in which the massive lumps of clay running down the center of the table were available for us to collectively sculpt a huge landscape of our imagining. We would systematically change locations around the sculpture after certain amounts of time so that it constantly shifted and evolved around us, with each person bringing new ideas and innovations to each are, almost becoming unrecognisable from what it had originally been and each part forming numerous stories that came together.
Rebecca Elysium 